I have been thinking about that word quite a bit lately, as this past year I have found myself "crushing" on my spiritual roots. I have been reflecting a lot on my catholic upbringing, and revisiting both the gifts and challenges that come with the territory of being born into, and raised by, a catholic family (from my humble, midwestern perspective).

That word :: RESURRECTION.

It has got me thinking about how much waiting we do, you know?

We wait for Saturday. We wait for tomorrow. We wait for springtime. We wait for retirement. We wait for the right partner. We wait for when we lose ten pounds. We wait for when we feel inspired. We wait until the New Year. We wait for someone else to do it - whatever it is....

I have come to a place of realizing that if we want to get something done, we ought to be the "Ones". Perhaps waiting around for springtime, inspiration, or.... even the "resurrection"... doesn't position us in our proper place of power in our own lives.

I reckon that nearly 25 years of not practicing my religion of upbringing now affords me a perspective I didn't have when I was "deep in it". But that word... it just keeps grabbing me. I see it on bumper stickers. I see it on Pinterest. I see it in transcripts of our politicians and even on the label of hard cider sold in our local food coop.

That word :: RESURRECTION.

What is UP with that word?

I mean, there is just something about "rising again".... which is the root of the word resurrection. What if we just did it, ya know? What if WE were the resurrection?

What if we just rose UP? Listened UP? Spoke UP? Gave it UP?

And ABOVE all that, what if we just Got OVER ourselves?

Is there any greater "rising up" than THAT? I'm thinking not.

I am not talking"religion", not even trying to be "spiritual". I am just trying to UP the ante on my own presence.

Any of the avatars -- whomever your fancy -- Ramana Maharishi, the Buddha, Jesus, even Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Ghandi and Desmond Tutu -- any of those wisemen, if we studied any of their lives, we would find a thousand reasons to raise ourselves up...

So I'm not attaching the resurrection to "you know who"... Instead, I'm just going to remind us -- that if we want things to be different somehow, we are the ones we've been waiting for. YOU are the one you have been waiting for.

Raise yourself UP - get bigger than small talk, materialism, your least (or most) favorite body part, your haircut, your house, your kids, your limited perception of who you have been led to believe you are.

Listen UP - take time to be quiet, listen for your "higher self" to give you guidance, ask your teachers, your mentors, your inspirations to help guide you and raise you UP.

Speak UP - say things to yourself, others, and the world that RAISE your vibration. Ixnay the gossip, the judgment, the criticisms, and the complaining.. Replace it with praise, gratitude, compassion. Because that other stuff only keeps you stuck.

Look UP - Seriously, raise your chin. Trust that the same force that awakens the sun everyday will ALSO raise YOU up, but you gotta keep your eyes to the sky, ya know? Feet on the ground and ayes to sky can change everything.

Give it UP - This one is huge.... Give. It. UP. You aren't the Giver. Never were. The same creator that created YOU gave you everything you have ever received. if it's too much -- if it's too hard -- GIVE IT UP. That same creator who created you is willing, waiting and ready to take it all back.

Perhaps you don't know where to start. I get that entirely. Been there -- and quite honestly, it doesn't even matter WHERE you start. It's that you DO start. But you want some direction :: I have a couple of options for you to consider .

The first is a shout out -- to a dear friend of mine, Melanie Madhuri Phillips, who is offering an Inner Empowerment Mentorship Program, a four month guided, group mentorship opportunity -- that starts next week. Madhuri is an amazing teacher and human being, who knows all about getting OVER herself -- and reclaiming forgotten pieces and putting them back together in a way that reeks of self-acceptance and wholeness. If you are looking for a community process -- I highly recommend her and this upcoming program. It starts next week.

The other option is to do one on one work with me --

Currently, my teaching and public offerings are pretty quiet, as I wind down to prepare for an upcoming sabbatical. That being said, I am offering one on one sessions for those who are ready to take their practice, their lives, or their teaching to the next level of clarity and impact.